By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden will announce during his State of the Union address that he directed the military on an emergency mission to establish a port in the Gaza Strip to get humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave, according to US officials.
The port on the coast can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters, said a senior official during a briefing.
"This is an initiative that will get underway here when the president makes the announcement and issues the orders," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The US will be working in partnership with like-minded countries and humanitarian partners, said another official. The port is a temporary pier that will provide the capacity for hundreds of additional truckloads of assistance.
"We will coordinate with the Israelis on the security requirements on land and work with the UN and humanitarian NGOs on the distribution of assistance within Gaza," said the official.
The US is not planning an operation that would require American troops on the ground.
The official said the US wants to see a temporary cease-fire to address the urgent needs of the civilian population in Gaza and to enable humanitarian partners to safely distribute life-saving aid throughout the enclave.
"The path to a cease-fire is straightforward. There could be at least a six-week cease-fire today if Hamas would agree to release a defined category of vulnerable hostages, including women, elderly, sick and the wounded," said the official.
"That deal is on the table now and has been for more than the past week. It would bring immediate relief to the people of Gaza. It would also create the conditions needed to enable the urgent humanitarian work that must be done so the onus right now is on Hamas," the official added.
The US has conducted three airdrops into Gaza since last week.